Berkswell Hall

Berkswell ( BURK-swəl) is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, county of West Midlands, England. Historically in Warwickshire, Berkswell is situated in the rural east of the borough, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the western city boundary of Coventry, at Eastern Green. It is situated about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) west of Coventry city centre, 8.5 miles (13.7 km) east of central Solihull, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south of Meriden and 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Balsall Common. The United Kingdom Census 2001 recorded a parish population of 2,843, increasing to 3,139 at the 2011 Census.

The Meriden Gap is a mostly rural area located in the West Midlands between Solihull and Coventry. It serves as a part of the wider West Midlands Green Belt, and separates the latter from the large West Midlands conurbation, which includes Birmingham and Wolverhampton. The 'Gap' takes its name from the village central to the area, Meriden, although the largest settlement is Balsall Common. The highest point lies at 181m / 594 ft above sea level, slightly north of the hamlet of Eaves Green near the West Midlands-Warwickshire border. The majority of the gap falls within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull with a small area falling within Warwickshire and some of the northeastern part being in the City of Coventry. Other villages and hamlets within the gap include Hampton-in-Arden, Berkswell, Barston, Temple Balsall, Eastcote, Bradnocks Marsh, Millison's Wood, Eaves Green, Four Oaks, Fen End, Pickford Green and Corley Moor. The gap is largely covered by the Meriden parliamentary constituency.

Balsall Common Viaduct is a railway viaduct under construction in Balsall Common that will carry the High Speed 2 railway line.The finalised design of the viaduct was issued in February 2023; it will be a mostly concrete structure, comprising 16 piers and a bridge deck approximately 10 metres (33 feet) above ground. Various measures to mitigate acoustic, environmental, and community impact will be incorporated into the construction process and the finished viaduct.

Berkswell railway station ( BURK-swəl), in the West Midlands of England, takes its name from the nearby village of Berkswell although it is located on the northern edge of the village of Balsall Common. The station originally opened in 1844 as Docker's Lane, changed to Berkswell on 1 January 1853, then to Berkswell & Balsall Common on 1 February 1928 before reverting to Berkswell again in 1955.It is situated on the West Coast Main Line between Birmingham and Coventry, specifically between the stations of Hampton-in-Arden and Tile Hill (in west Coventry). The station and all trains serving it are operated by West Midlands Railway, while Avanti West Coast pass through the station without stopping. There are small lakes and a river on the Eastern side of the railway station.

Berkswell Marsh is a 7.5 hectare (18.5 acre) biological site of Special Scientific Interest in the West Midlands, en. The site was notified in 1991 under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is located in the Meriden Gap which is between Birmingham and Coventry.

Balsall Common is a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England. It is situated 4.5 miles (7.5 km) northwest of Kenilworth, 7.5 miles (12.1 km) west of Coventry, 8 miles (13 km) east of Solihull and 15 miles (24 km) to the southeast of Birmingham. The name “Balsall” comes from the Anglo Saxon word “Baelle” meaning corner (or angle) of land, and “Heale” meaning a sheltered place

The A452 is a road in England, which runs from Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire to Brownhills in the West Midlands. It is the major link to the M6 motorway for both Leamington and Warwick in addition to serving as Leamington's link to the M40 motorway and to Coventry. Between Brownhills and Kenilworth it follows the line of the ancient drover's road called the Welsh Road, which probably has pre-Roman origins.

The Cyclists War Memorial is a war memorial on the village green in Meriden, West Midlands. The village between Coventry and Birmingham was long reputed to be at the geographical centre of England. The national memorial was built in 1920 to commemorate cyclists killed in the First World War (it is now believed that the first British soldier killed in the war was Private John Parr, a reconnaissance cyclist with the 4th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment). A bronze plaque was added in 1963 to commemorate cyclists killed in the Second World War. A committee to organise a national cyclists war memorial was established in November 1919, chaired by the Conservative politician W. G. Howard Gritten, known as the "cyclists' MP", with the Lord Chancellor, the 1st Earl of Birkenhead as president. Funding of around £1,100 was raised by public donations, including the proceeds from auctioning the Rudge-Whitworth bicycle of the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, which was sold for £100 to Rev. Basil Graham Bourchier. The memorial comprises a 30 ft (9.1 m) high obelisk of Cornish grey granite with stepped top, weighing about 32 t (31 long tons; 35 short tons), standing a 7.5 ft (2.3 m) square plinth with inscription panel on front, on a square base. An inscription with gold lettering reads "TO THE / LASTING MEMORY / OF THOSE / CYCLISTS / WHO DIED IN THE / GREAT WAR 1914 - 1919". The memorial was deliberately kept simple in design eschewing cycling symbolism, and located at the heart of England to make it easier for people to visit from around the country. It was constructed in 1920 by stonemasons J White and Sons of Yardley, Birmingham and unveiled on 21 May 1921 by the Earl of Birkenhead, and dedicated by Rev. Bourchier, at a ceremony attended by an estimated 20,000 people including many thousands of cyclists. Around the anniversary of the unveiling, a memorial service is held by the Cyclists' Touring Club in May each year. The memorial was rededicated in 1963, when a plaque was added to commemorate cyclists killed in the Second World War, which reads "IN REMEMBRANCE / OF THOSE / CYCLISTS / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / IN WORLD WAR II / 1939 - 1945". It became a Grade II listed building in 2001. A second plaque was added 2013, commemorating all cyclists who fought and died for their country, dedicated at the remembrance service in May 2014. Nearby is the Grade II listed sandstone monument that by tradition marks the centre of England.

Heart of England School is a secondary school and sixth form with academy status located in Balsall Common in the West Midlands. The Headteacher, who started at the start of the Academic year 2014, is Miss Hughes-Williams. She previously worked as a member of the school's senior leadership team.

Meriden is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England. Historically, it is part of Warwickshire and lies between the cities of Birmingham and Coventry. It is located close to the Warwickshire border within a green belt of the countryside known as the Meriden Gap and is in the ecclesiastical parish of the Diocese of Coventry. The village is 6.75 miles (11 kilometres) east-northeast of Solihull, 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometres) west-northwest of Coventry and 4.5 miles (7 kilometres) east-southeast of Birmingham Airport. Birmingham city centre is 12.5 miles (20 kilometres) east-northeast of the village. Known as "Alspath" in the Domesday Book, it was historically thought to be the geographical centre of England until the early 2000s, though after an analysis by the Ordnance Survey this was proved to be incorrect. The village gives its name to the Meriden parliamentary constituency, which was created in 1955 and covers the Meriden Gap. In the 2011 Census, the population of the Meriden parish was 2,719. The population is estimated to have risen to 3,096 by 2017.Meriden is served by National Express West Midlands service X1 between Birmingham and Coventry and by Stagecoach's service 82 between Solihull and Coventry. The latter also serves the nearest mainline station at Hampton-in-Arden.

The Coventry Way is a 40-mile (64 km) long distance footpath in central England that starts and finishes in Meriden. It forms a circular route around the city of Coventry covering countryside in both the West Midlands and Warwickshire. The path is managed by A Coventry Way Association.

Walsh Hall is a six-bedroom, Grade II* listed house on Walsh Lane, Meriden, West Midlands (originally Warwickshire), England.It comprises a 16 foot (4.9 m) bay of a 15th-century hall, with original roof truss, and 16th century additions. The timber frame sits on an ashlar base. The infill is whitewashed, and the chimneys are in red brick. An additional wing was added sometime in the early-to-mid 20th century.The hall sits in 4.8 acres (1.9 ha) of land, and was given listed status in November 1952. It lies adjacent to and north of the Meriden Bypass, part of the A45, which separates the hall from the centre of Meriden, to the south-west. The hall was once owned by musician Jeff Lynne, founding member of Electric Light Orchestra, who sold it to UB40's Robin Campbell in 1995, and moved to Beverly Hills, California. Campbell put the house back on the market in 2013, when it was valued at around £1.65 million.